Conventionally, based on the principles of Surface Plasmon field enhanced Fluorescence Spectroscopy (SPFS), detection is being made, for example, of extremely small quantifies of analytes within an organism. The Surface Plasmon field enhanced Fluorescence Spectroscopy (SPFS) is a method of detecting extremely small quantities and/or extremely low concentrations of an analyte by, under conditions in which a laser light (excitation light) emitted from a light source undergoes attenuated total reflection (ATR) at the surface of a thin metal film, by causing the generation of density waves (surface plasmons) at the surface of the thin metal film and thereby enhancing the number of photons in the laser light (excitation light) emitted from a light source by several tens of times to several hundreds of times (the electric field enhancement effect of surface plasmons), and through this, efficiently exciting fluorescent materials in the vicinity of the thin metal film.
In recent years, developments are being made in surface plasmon field enhanced fluorescence spectroscope apparatuses based on this type of surface plasmon field enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy, and this technology has been disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1.
Further, in Patent Document 1, in order to carry out measurement with a small quantity of the sample, by reciprocatingly feeding the analyte solution, the analyte solution is made to move reciprocatingly over the surface of a sensor onto which has been fixed an antibody that specifically bonds with the analyte in the analyte solution.